THE sultry weather may be upon us but police and fire officials are warning of the need to be vigilant to keep barbecues under control and burglars at bay.

Crime prevention officer with Chester police Phil Toplis said: 'People go into the back garden and do some sunbathing and people can come up the path and go in and take your handbag, video, whatever it may be. Even when you are in the garden shut the windows and doors and lock them.

He suggested using window blocks, which stop burglars being able to open windows wide enough to get in.

Community safety officer for Chester police Keith Parsonage added: 'One of the big problems we have is driving and the glare from the sun on the windscreen, so wear sunglasses or slow down.

'Children go diving off the swing bridge. It's very dangerous so you shouldn't be going into this kind of area.

'Most crimes are down to opportunity. If you remove the opportunity the crime is less likely to happen.'

The officers also warned about leaving children and pets in cars.

PC Toplis said: 'If you're thinking of going into a shop for a couple of minutes and leaving the children in the car make sure you leave the windows open. Make sure they can't get out through them and other people can't get in.'

Also this week, Cheshire's chief fire officer Steve McGuirk spoke of the dangers of fires in the hot weather.

He said: 'Our concern is that if we continue with the current spell of dry, hot weather there will be an upturn in calls involving crops, grass, hedgerows and the open countryside.

'In the majority of cases these fires are not life-threatening but do cause damage to farmland, public open spaces and wildlife and can spread to adjacent property. Many of these fires result from careless-ness.'

He advised people not to throw lighted cigarettes out of car or train windows, not to leave glass bottles lying around and not to start fires in the countryside.

He added: 'By far the biggest danger is the use of flammable liquids to light the barbecue. Prepare well in advance and light the charcoal early. Most of all enjoy yourself in safety.'